Walking along the edge of the woods this past week, I made a lucky find. In reality, it could have been an even bigger surprise had I not noticed those golden globes laying on a bare spot in the bright sunshine.
The real shock is that no one else had found the pair of pawpaws since they had fallen to the earth. The sweet insides are always popular with birds, squirrels, skunks, opossums, raccoons, and just about everything else that walks in the woods, so they rarely last long once they hit the ground.
In general, August is a little early to find the natural fruits ripe and ready. The outdoor calendar usually calls for them in September and October. I took my pair home and put them in the refrigerator. You can eat them right under the tree, but I like them better chilled.
Before we get into more ways to eat them, let’s start with some better descriptions and comparisons. The taste of pawpaws is often called “tropical” and described with hints of pineapple or cantaloupe.
One of the fruit’s nicknames is “Missouri Banana,” based on some similarities between the two. Both grow in clusters at the tops of skinny trees, and their outer covers are inedible, turning from bright green to yellow and then black through the ripening process. They are both cylindrical in shape, but the banana is longer and thinner.
Also known as a “custard apple,” the pawpaw is closer to apple-size. The tasty insides are very much like the consistency of custard or smooth pudding and just as sweet. Another common item to compare to is the avocado. All the good soft stuff is between the skin and some big seeds.
Last but not least, the pawpaw apparently gets its name from the unrelated Spanish fruit papaya. When English explorers first “discovered” pawpaws in the 1500s and 1600s, they mispronounced what they thought they had found and the name stuck.
There are many ways to eat pawpaws, but even the simplest method can be a little tricky. I like to cut them in half and use a spoon to scoop out all that goodness. Trying to pick the flesh from around the seeds results in only baby-sized bites. In the appropriate environment (when no one is looking) you can put a spoonful in your mouth and slurp the goodness from the seeds before spitting them out.
In more polite surroundings, or if you’re trying to preserve some of the pulp for future consumption, the preferred method is to peel the skin away and put all the insides into a colander/strainer and stir to separate the seeds from the creamy fruit. The process can be more than a little messy, but with suggested recipes like pawpaw cheesecake, bread, smoothies, and even pawpaw beer, the effort can be rewarding.
Missouri’s native pawpaw tree can grow to about 30 feet, but in riverside settings they are usually limited by the overhead canopy of other trees like sycamores, sweet gum and river birch. In addition to thriving in the rich bottomland, they also can find a stronghold on the slopes and valleys surrounding streams.
The state Department of Conservation website has additional information and history about Missouri’s official state fruit tree, as well as videos on finding the trees and fruit in your woods, how to peel and prepare pawpaws for preservation, and how to bake a pawpaw cheesecake.
As my fortunate encounter proved last week, they are available now. Most of them may still be up in the treetops, but if you can beat the birds and squirrels to the ones on the ground, you will find a delicious natural-food surprise.
John Winkelman has been writing about outdoors news and issues in Jefferson County for more than 30 years and was the Associate Editor for Outdoor Guide Magazine. If you have story ideas, e-mail ogmjohnw@aol.com, and you can find more outdoor news and updates at johnjwink.com.